DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see the Response, filed 11/21/2025, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-11 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made below.
Specification
The objection to the specification regarding the prepolymer is withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maeda (WIPO Publication No. 2019-107087) in view of Moriya (US PGP 2017-0097581).
Maeda teaches resin particles comprising a binder resin containing a polyester resin (a) ([0017]), and a polyester resin (b) ([0059]); wherein polyester resin (b) includes an amorphous polyester resin (b1) and a crystalline polyester resin (C) ([0061]). The gel fraction of the base particles is preferably 9% to 40% ([0057]). Exemplary toner (T-5) contains a gel fraction of 31%, and (T-8) contains a gel fraction of 40% (Table 2). The release agent may be an ester wax ([0081]), and it is contained in an amount of 1% to 20% by weight ([0083]). The resin particles further contain an aggregating agent that is preferably a metal salt, such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, aluminum chloride, or aluminum sulfate ([0110]). Exemplary toners (T-1) to (T-15) contain the divalent aggregating agent magnesium chloride ([0170-175]). The resin particles may further comprise a fluidizing agent as an external additive ([0085]). Maeda teaches that the toner may be used with a carrier to form a developer ([0129]).
Madea teaches that the resin particles contain a colorant in an amount of 3% to 10% that may include yellow pigments, but is silent regarding the use of isoindoline pigments specifically ([0078]). Moriya teaches a toner containing the coloring agent C.I. Pigment Yellow 185, an isoindoline pigment, a binder resin, and an ester wax (Abstract). This pigment gives the toner excellent color reproducibility and light resistance ([0010],[0020]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the toner of Maeda to having included the colorant C.I. Pigment Yellow 185 in order to produce a toner having excellent color reproducibility and light resistance.
Moriya is silent regarding the percentage of the pigment having an isoindoline skeleton present on the surface layer of the base particle relative to the entire pigment on the cross-section of the base particles. However, based on the components of the modified toner it would be expected to be less than 15%. Paragraph 70 of the specification of the instant application states that the dispersibility of the isoindoline pigment can be controlled by the type of agglomerating agents added in the agglomeration step (line 1-4). Maeda teaches magnesium chloride as the agglomerating agent, which is the same as Examples 2, 4, and 6 of the instant application. The combination of the isoindoline pigment with the agglomerating agent the gel fraction of the resin, and the ester wax would be expected to prevent the pigment from agglomerating at the surface of the toner particle.
Maeda teaches that the toner is used for the development of an electrostatic image ([0132]), but is silent regarding the image forming apparatus to create the image. Moriya teaches an image forming apparatus (Figure 1, 1) and method for forming images comprising an electrostatic latent image bearer 12, a latent image forming device 17, a developing device 14, a transfer roller 18, and a fixing device 30 ([0082-90]). The image forming apparatus contains a toner cartridge ([0010]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/J.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/PETER L VAJDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 02/24/2026